Freedom
by themarchgirl
Summary: You've never been happier. Sequel to Medicine. Creddie, Spam, and a load of Sam-lovin'.


**A/N: **This is like a final piece in the Hurt series, because I wrote one from 2nd person Carly's POV and the other from Freddie's, and I couldn't help feeling that Sam was a little left out, so here is the final piece, told from our vicious yet awesome Sam.

* * *

You knew it was coming. Even though you drilled and drilled (unsuccessfully) into his head that 'Carly will never love you', the day has arrived when your two best friends are finally tying the knot.

You arrive at the Shay's apartment at around eight am, brining with you every single bit of make-up you own. Carly answers the door in her early stages maternity pyjamas, her face glowing. You swear she's never looked more beautiful.

'Did you bring your stuff?'

'Yes, yes,' you answer, brandishing as much as you can your heavy plastic bag. 'Is Spencer driving us?'

'Yeah,' Carly says, letting you in and flopping down on her couch. 'He's going to put ribbons on the car and stuff.'

'Awesome.' You dump the bag on the floor and join your long-time best friend on the couch, swinging your feet up onto the coffee table.

'Sam! You know that's only acceptable on girlie nights.' Carly smacks your legs very lightly with her hand and you move them off. 'Shall we get started? I have your dress…' She trails off with an evil grin.

'Oh, no, not a dress…' You pray that it won't be a frilly pink floor-length gown like the one your mom wore once to a school event for parents and never wore ever again.

'Relax, it stops above your knees. The guys will be drooling all over you.'

'What colour is it?' You ask tentatively, crossing your fingers.

'Purple,' Carly responds, and you let out a sigh of relief. 'Sam, do you mind if I invited my girls from work?'

'Aw, come on, Carls,' you whine. 'Not Brittany and Shelby.'

'Plus Sarah and Ams.' She smiles mischievously and you give in because this is her special day and you know how important this is to her.

'What's your dress like?' You ask.

'Well, come on upstairs and I'll put it on.' Carly hops up surprisingly fast for a pregnant woman, and you worry briefly for the baby.

When upstairs, you wait outside her bedroom as she dresses. She wants it to be a surprise, and because it's her wedding day you allow it. You hate secrets. You absolutely detest them.

Carly calls 'OK, you can come in now!' after about five minutes and you open the door as she turns around.

Even without any make-up on she looks stunning. The dress is white and strapless, and it fits to her curves and a certain bump that just sticks out at the front. It goes down to the floor and the train flows out behind her. The skirt is thick, floaty net, and her whole dress sparkles. It is covered in diamante.

'Wow.' You say; nearly breathless at how amazing she looks. 'God, Freddie's jaw will be on the ground. You look _awesome_, Carls.'

She smiles shyly and blushes; you know how she really loves being complemented.

'Speaking of the dude, where is he?'

Carly picks up her silver PearPhone and dials his number, mouthing 'I don't know,' in your direction. You hear it ringing, and after a few seconds he picks up. Carly puts it on loudspeaker.

'Carls? You OK, buttercup?' You roll your eyes at his nickname for her, but it is adorable all the same.

'Yeah, I'm OK. Nervous. Missin' you.' Carly bites her lip.

'Listen, beautiful, I'm just at the church getting stuff ready. Spencer says I'm not allowed to see you or it's bad luck. And, hey, don't be nervous. We love each other, and you wanna do this, don't you?'

'Yeah, yeah, I do; I assure you my feet are toasty warm,' Carly jokes, sitting down in her desk chair. You hear Freddie laugh and you, too, smile at Carly's habit to joke when she's nervous. 'Do you have your tux?'

'I do. I'm not wearing it now; Mom is going crazy and saying I'll spill something on it.'

Carly giggles. 'Well, me and her are both worried. I dunno, I just want this to be _perfect_, Freddie.'

'I know, I know, so do I. Aw, man, I've got to go,' Freddie sighs. 'I'll see you at the alter, sweetheart.'

'OK. Love you.'

'I love you too. Bye.'

Carly reaches over and presses the end call button on her phone screen, and then gets up and goes over to her bed. You watch her as a smile creeps across her face as she goes, and then she squeals loudly.

'I'm getting married, Sam! Oh my God!'

You start to laugh as you realise this has just sunk in.

'Carls, you got engaged months ago!'

'I know, I just got so wrapped up in wedding arrangements and _him_ and my _baby_,' she looks at her stomach and caresses it softly. 'Mommy loves you, baby, she loves you so much.' She sits with a small grunt and has another small spasm of happiness.

Then you hear the doorbell go and you give Carly a quick hug before heading downstairs to let the animals in. Carly's friends from work are all pretty, leggy and curvy, and they wear a hell of a lot of make-up. Brittany is nearly orange from all her fake-tan use and Shelby is wearing the shortest skirt you've ever seen.

Amber is the shortest and has long blonde hair that falls in a thin straight way down her back. She is wearing an orange skirt with a purple t-shirt and her clothes clash so much you have to blink a couple of times. Sarah, the only brunette, is carrying the dresses, as they are bridesmaids and you are the maid of honour.

Her friends hug you and you exchange pleasantries as you go back up the stairs. When they see Carly they all squeal and coo and ooh and ahh until your head hurts and you want to yell at them to shut it.

And then Carly instructs you and her work-girls to put on your dresses and pulls out her sewing kit, because she was always going to do something with them. You slip into yours, feeling self-conscious as it feels different from your normal plaid shorts and girl-shirt. Carly smiles at you and gives you the seal of approval, but she adds a small chain of flowers up the right side of your hips.

All Carly's bridesmaids wear a soft pastel pink dress that outlines their curvy figures and reaches halfway down their calves. It has small elastic straps at the top to keep in their significant busts, and the skirt is slightly pleated. Carly stitches in stars and moons at the hem of each dress, and soon they are on to make-up.

Brittany does Carly's, Amber does yours and Sarah does Shelby's. Then you switch, and you give Amber delicate gold eyelids and long purple eyelashes. Your make-up all matches your dresses, as Carly would freak if they clashed, and no one wants the bride-to-be to have a nervous breakdown just before the ceremony.

Before you know it it's three pm and there is only an hour before the ceremony starts. Spencer is going to lead Carly down the aisle, and you will precede them. The bridesmaids will carry Carly's train and try hard not to flirt with every cute boy sitting in the pews.

This works in theory, and hopefully when put into practise.

* * *

Spencer picks Carly up and sits her in the passenger seat of his car, while you and the bridesmaids (it takes too ling for you to list all their names) pile in the back of his 4-by-4 and bounce up and down with excitement. Spencer calls Carly beautiful about seven times, and goes on and on about his baby sister growing up and how the time flew.

You roll your eyes at the other girls, realise what you just did and stare at the window for the rest of the journey, trying to avoid anyone's gaze.

You find yourself catching Spencer's eye in the rear-view mirror a couple of times, and every time he smiles at you and winks. All of a sudden you feel this strange surge of affection for Carly's goofy, clumsy, crazy, creative brother, who let you practically live in their apartment since you were eight years old.

That's nearly _fifteen years_. Time catches up with you then. It's been so long since you guys met in an old playground somewhere and you pushed each other off the bench just for a tuna sandwich. You smile and remember the good old days, when Freddie was openly crushing on Carly like there was no tomorrow, and you ate everything.

Oh, wait, you still do that.

When you reach the church, Spencer makes sure that Freddie is hidden away somewhere before he comes back and carries Carly into a room off the chapel. When he puts her down again he nearly drops her because he starts to cry. You hug him while Brittany and Amber steady Carly.

Spencer cries into your styled hair while Carly sits in her seat and fidgets, her eyes very bright and her cheeks flushed. You can tell she's worried and scared and excited and ecstatic all at the same time. She rests her hand on her swollen belly and whispers to her unborn child.

Eventually Spencer stops crying and he releases you, slumping in a crappy plastic chair and pouting. While Shelby fusses over the wet mark on your dress, you watch him muss his already messy hair and think about you and him.

* * *

It is five to four and you can hear people talking loudly in the chapel. Carly is bouncing and bouncing up and down and so are you, because you are worried too, but you are so insanely happy for your best friends that it overcomes the sheer terror you know you and Carly share.

Brittany goes out and comes back two minutes later with the news that everyone is settled and that they are ready to start. Carly whimpers, her face pale, and squeaks out an 'OK,' so Brittany darts out of the door again and about ten seconds the music starts. You stand up and hug Carly, kissing her cheek as you let go of her.

'You ready, Carls?' You whisper. 'You ready?'

She nods once and you both giggle nervously. You turn and step out the door, and blush as everyone stares at you. You walk slowly down the aisle, holding the roses you've been clutching for the last twenty minutes; you hear the gasp, and you know Carly has come through the doors.

You look instantly to Freddie, and watch as he silently takes a breath and his eyes widen. A single lone tear slides down his cheek and your heart warms for him for the first time in your life. He glances to you, and you share a smile. _She's so beautiful._ He looks pretty good in his tux, too, even though you're completely in love with somebody else.

When Carly reaches the altar, she hugs Spencer and strokes his cheek. He goes to sit down and the tears stream down his face the entire ceremony.

Carly and Freddie reach for each other's hands and smile as their fingertips touch. The moment is so beautiful that you start to cry, too, sobbing silently at how much love there is in one gaze.

Carly squeezes Freddie's hand and they turn to the vicar, ready to be joined together.

* * *

Later, when the ceremony is finished and you are all getting absolutely pissed at the party afterwards, Spencer asks you to dance. You look over at Freddie and Carly dancing slowly in each other's arms, and think immediately that it looks really fun. You nod and he leads you out into the crowd of dancing couples, his eyes puffy and red from al the crying he's done.

'So,' you say, as he winds his arms round your waist. 'Do you think you could get married one day?'

'Only if the girl I love says yes.' He replies softly, and you move your hands to his forearms.

'I'm sure she will,' you say, even though you think you know who it is, and your heart is bursting,

'Does she?' Spencer leans in closer, his mouth inches from yours.

'Hell yes.' You reply, and then you kiss him with as much force as you can muster.

When he pulls away you grin. 'Want to have drunken sex later?'

'Sure,' he replies, completely serious. 'I'll have sober sex, too, if you want.'

Good old days is such a weird saying, you think as you kiss some more. It doesn't even take into account that there might be good new days, too.

And, boy, will these be good.

* * *

**One year later.**

* * *

You wander into Carly and Freddie's apartment unnoticed, because the door is wide open and they are not around. You call their names, and a baby starts to cry immediately. Darn. You made Hannah cry.

'Sam!' Carly comes out of the nursery with a screaming baby on her hip. 'Could you be a little quieter?'

'Sorry!' You put your hands up in mock defence. 'Didn't know Hannah was going to be _gwumpy_.' You say the last word in a babying voice and Hannah stops crying and giggles.

She has very dark curly hair sprouting from her head, and her eyes are a very dark blue. Today she is cuddling her favourite bear, and she is currently chewing on his ear. You grin at your niece (yes, officially) and she smiles toothily back.

'Hey, Sam,' Freddie appears from the study, wearing a striped shirt with a white patch on it. 'Where's Spencer?'

'He's at an art convention this week.'

'He's been talking about it all week,' Carly tells her husband, jigging Hannah on her hip. 'Didn't he, like, sit you down and pretty much lecture you on it?'

Freddie's frown clears. 'Oh, right, the one in New Jersey. Cool. When are you going to your meeting?'

'In about half an hour. Can I trust you with her?' Carly eyes Freddie suspiciously. 'Last time you ended up covered in her baby food and your daughter very hungry.'

'It's not my fault she doesn't like creamed spinach,' Freddie replies. 'And I'll be fine, sweetheart, honestly. Hannah loves Daddy, doesn't she, pumpkin?' Hannah, still chewing on her teddy, looks at her father with wide eyes and a supposedly innocent expression. Freddie smiles and puts his arms around his wife and daughter. You smile at the scene, and then you remember why you're here.

'Guys, you know me and Spence are married,' you begin, and Carly raises her eyebrows and nods. 'Well, I think Hannah's going to have a cousin…'

Carly gives Hannah to Freddie, squeals and rushes over to hug you. 'Are you sure?'

'I took a test,' you reply. 'It was positive, and when Spencer gets back I'll tell him.'

'Wow,' Freddie says. 'A creative, loud, vicious and artistic baby. What a handful.'

Carly hits him and so does Hannah.

Then you are all laughing, and even though you're mature enough not to throw back another insult you stick out your tongue at him. But then you go over and hug him and he hugs Carly too and little Hannah reaches up and touches your faces and giggles.

You've never been happier.

* * *

**A/N: **That is officially the longest thing I've ever written. Well, I hope you guys liked it! Reviews are love, never forget.


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